Stepan Company is a member of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and a charter member of Responsible Care. Responsible Care is a voluntary initiative within the global chemical industry, but is an obligation of ACC members. Responsible Care was born in Canada in 1987 and adopted in the United States in 1988. It has since spread to over 53 countries.

Responsible Care is a program initiative created by the chemical industry to safely handle products from inception in the research laboratory, through manufacture and distribution, to ultimate disposal, and to involve the general public in appropriate decision-making processes. Responsible Care requires member companies to certify to their Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Management Systems and to continually improve upon their EHS performance. This is accomplished by listening and responding to public concerns, assisting each other to achieve optimum performance, and reporting goals and progress to the public. Responsible Care obligations exceed legal requirements.

On an annual basis, Stepan publicly reports the following metrics to the ACC:

In December 2005, Stepan Company's Corporate Headquarters Responsible Care Management System (RCMS) was certified by an independent, third-party management system auditor. The certification process was expanded to all North American production facilities: Anaheim, CA, Winder, GA, Maywood, NJ, Fieldsboro, NJ, and Millsdale, IL. The new Columbus, GA product facility will seek certification in the future. This certification process requires interviewing employees, touring the facility, reviewing documentation and the field verification of Stepan’s EHS management system.

Out of the United States, Stepan sites are assessed and / or certified under comparable or equivalent Responsible Care programs:

At Stepan, protecting people and the environment is part of everything we do and every decision that is made. Each employee has responsibility to ensure that our products, practices, and operations meet applicable government or Stepan standards — whichever is more stringent. As one Stepan employee stated during the certification process, "Responsible Care means to me that I am responsible, and I care."